Key Takeaway: Capital Gains Tax in Ireland has two separate deadlines: one for paying the tax and one for filing the return. If you sold, gifted, or transferred an asset between 1 January and 30 November 2026, CGT payment is due by 15 December 2026. If the disposal happened in December 2026, payment is due by 31 January 2027. The return itself – whether on Form CG1, Form 11, or Form 12 – must be filed by 31 October 2027. Most people get this the wrong way around and end up paying interest unnecessarily.
The Mistake That Costs People Money Every Year
When someone sells a property or a portfolio of shares in Ireland, the instinct is usually to wait until the October tax return deadline before thinking about the CGT. That makes sense in most other tax contexts. But CGT works differently.
You pay first. You file later.
The payment is due in December of the same year you made the disposal. The return confirming the details of that disposal is not due until October of the following year. These are two completely separate obligations with two completely separate deadlines, and missing the December payment deadline – even if you plan to file the return correctly in October – means interest accrues from 15 December onward regardless of whether you file accurately later.
Revenue charges interest on late CGT payments at 0.0274% per day. On a liability of €20,000, that is approximately €5.48 per day from the December deadline. Three months of late payment generates roughly €500 in interest before the return is even filed.
Understanding the two-deadline system is the first thing to get right.
The Two CGT Deadlines for 2026
Payment deadline – 15 December 2026
This applies to any asset you disposed of between 1 January 2026 and 30 November 2026. Disposal means selling, gifting, transferring, or otherwise parting with a chargeable asset. You calculate the CGT due, register for CGT if you have not done so before, and pay the amount through Revenue Online Service or myAccount by 15 December 2026.
Payment deadline – 31 January 2027
This applies to any asset disposed of during December 2026 only. The later deadline exists because December disposals happen too close to the 15 December date for Revenue to reasonably expect payment. If you sell a property or shares in December 2026, you have until 31 January 2027 to pay.
Return filing deadline – 31 October 2027
This applies to all 2026 disposals regardless of when they occurred. By 31 October 2027, you must file a formal return declaring the details of every disposal made during the 2026 tax year, the gain calculated, any reliefs or exemptions applied, and the CGT paid. This obligation exists even if no CGT was due because of the annual exemption, losses offset, or principal private residence relief. Revenue still requires the return to be filed.
The gap between the December payment date and the October filing date is deliberate. You pay Revenue an amount based on your own calculation of the gain and CGT due. Revenue then reviews the formal return filed the following year to confirm the calculation was accurate.
Which Disposals Trigger a CGT Liability in Ireland
CGT applies to chargeable gains arising from the disposal of chargeable assets. Understanding what counts as a disposal and what is chargeable helps you determine whether you have a filing and payment obligation at all.
A disposal includes selling an asset, gifting it to someone other than your spouse or civil partner, exchanging it for another asset, receiving compensation for its loss or destruction, and transferring it at undervalue.
Chargeable assets include investment properties, holiday homes, commercial properties, shares in companies, unit trusts, ETFs, bonds, cryptocurrencies, goodwill and other business assets, and land other than your principal private residence.
Assets that are explicitly exempt from CGT include your principal private residence where PPR relief applies, government securities, certain life assurance policies, betting winnings, and lottery prizes. There is no CGT on assets transferred at death, though CGT can arise if the estate or beneficiaries subsequently sell an inherited asset. Assets transferred between spouses or civil partners do not trigger CGT at the time of transfer.
The first €1,270 of net chargeable gains in any tax year is exempt from CGT under the annual exemption. This exemption is personal and cannot be transferred between spouses. It applies after losses are offset and before the 33% rate is applied to the remaining gain.
How to Calculate the CGT Due
CGT is calculated on the chargeable gain, which is the disposal proceeds minus the acquisition cost, adjusted for allowable expenses and reliefs.
The basic formula is:
Disposal proceeds Minus acquisition cost Minus allowable expenses Minus enhancement expenditure Equals gross gain
From the gross gain, you deduct any allowable losses from other disposals in the same year or carried forward from prior years. You then deduct the annual exemption of €1,270. The remaining figure is the net chargeable gain, and CGT is charged at 33% on that amount.
A practical example makes this concrete. You buy an investment apartment in 2015 for €200,000. You sell it in March 2026 for €350,000. Your allowable expenses include legal fees on purchase of €3,000, legal fees on sale of €4,000, and estate agent fees of €5,000. No capital improvements were made.
Disposal proceeds: €350,000 Less acquisition cost: €200,000 Less allowable expenses: €12,000 Gross gain: €138,000 Less annual exemption: €1,270 Net chargeable gain: €136,730 CGT at 33%: €45,121
You must pay €45,121 by 15 December 2026 because the disposal occurred in March 2026. You then file the formal return by 31 October 2027 confirming these figures.
If your calculation of the gain involves principal private residence relief, retirement relief, entrepreneur relief, or any other specific exemption, the amount due changes accordingly. Our capital gains tax service covers CGT planning and calculation for property, shares, and business asset disposals including relief applications.
What the CGT1 Form Is and When You Need It
The CGT1 form is not a tax return. It is a payment slip, technically called CGT Payslip A, that you use if you are paying CGT by post or are not set up for online payment through ROS or myAccount.
CGT Payslip A (CGT1 form A) is for payments due on 15 December – covering disposals from 1 January to 30 November of the relevant year.
CGT Payslip B is for payments due on 31 January – covering December disposals from the previous year.
The Revenue website provides downloadable versions of both payslips. For most people, however, paying online through ROS or myAccount is faster, provides an immediate payment confirmation, and does not require printing or posting anything. Revenue strongly recommends online payment for all CGT liabilities.
If you are already registered for ROS, CGT payment is made under the Capital Gains Tax section of your ROS dashboard. If you use myAccount rather than ROS, you can make CGT payments through the Payments section of your myAccount profile provided you are registered for CGT.
How to Register for CGT if You Have Not Done So Before
If this is your first chargeable disposal, you need to register for CGT with Revenue before you can pay or file.
Through myAccount: log in, click on Manage My Record, select Tax Registrations, and choose CGT as the tax type. Registration is usually confirmed within a few minutes.
Through ROS: sign in, go to Other Services on the My Services screen, click Manage Tax Registrations, and select CGT.
If you have never been registered for any tax in Ireland before, you need to complete a TR1 form. For non-residents selling Irish property, the relevant form is TR1 FT, which is for non-resident individuals.
Register as early as possible, ideally as soon as you know a disposal will take place. The registration gives you access to the online payment system. Trying to register and pay on 14 December when the deadline is 15 December is a stress you do not need.
The Return: Which Form to File and How
After paying the CGT by the December or January deadline, you still have a legal obligation to file a formal return declaring the disposal details by 31 October of the following year. The form you use depends on your tax situation.
Form CG1 is for individuals who do not normally file annual tax returns. If you are a PAYE employee with no self-employment income, no rental income, and no other reason to file a return, and you had a CGT event in 2026, you file Form CG1 for the 2026 tax year by 31 October 2027. This is a paper-only form. Revenue does not offer an online version of the CG1. You request it through the Revenue forms ordering service and submit it by post.
Form 12 is for PAYE taxpayers who also submit a return through the paper system. CGT can be declared in the capital gains section of the Form 12.
Form 11 is for self-employed individuals, proprietary directors, and anyone already filing a self-assessment return. If you are on Form 11, your CGT is declared in the Capital Gains and CGT Self-Assessment panels of that return. Revenue pre-fills the payment information you already submitted in December if you paid through ROS, which prompts you to complete the matching disposal detail panels.
Form CT1 is for companies. If a company disposes of a chargeable asset, the gain is declared in the CT1 corporation tax return rather than through any personal CGT form.
The filing obligation exists even if no CGT is due. If you disposed of your principal private residence and PPR relief eliminated the liability entirely, you still file the return to declare the disposal and confirm the relief. If your gain fell entirely within the annual exemption, you still file. Revenue uses these returns to verify that self-assessed CGT liabilities have been calculated correctly.
How to Handle Losses to Reduce Your CGT Bill
Capital losses from other disposals in the same year can be offset against your gains before the 33% rate is applied. If you sell shares in March 2026 at a gain of €20,000 and sell other shares in September 2026 at a loss of €8,000, your net gain is €12,000 before the annual exemption.
Losses must be offset against gains in the same year first. If losses exceed gains in a given year, the excess losses carry forward indefinitely to reduce gains in future years. Losses cannot be carried back to reduce gains from prior years.
To use carried-forward losses, you must have declared them on a prior year return. Revenue does not automatically apply historical losses. If you had losses in earlier years that were declared on a return, those figures are tracked and can be applied when calculating the net gain on your current year return.
Timing a disposal to fall within the same tax year as a loss is a straightforward planning approach. If you know you have an unrealised loss on an investment and you are also planning a profitable disposal, executing both before 31 December keeps them in the same tax year and allows the offset. Splitting them across the year-end boundary means paying CGT on the gain in one year and carrying the loss forward to offset a different future gain.
For disposals involving property, the calculations around indexation relief for assets held before 2003, enhancement expenditure, and partial PPR relief can significantly affect the taxable gain. Getting these figures right before calculating the amount due in December avoids the position of having overpaid or underpaid and needing to correct the figure through the October return. Our capital gains tax service handles the calculation and return filing for property disposals, share sales, and business asset transfers.
The CGT Clearance Certificate: When You Need It Before a Sale
If you are selling Irish land or buildings with a consideration above €500,000, the buyer is legally required to withhold 15% of the purchase price and pay it directly to Revenue unless the seller obtains a CGT Clearance Certificate before or at completion.
The clearance certificate, formally called a CG50A, is issued by Revenue on application. It confirms that the seller’s tax affairs are in order. Obtaining it requires submitting an application form to Revenue, usually through your solicitor, with evidence of the transaction. Revenue aims to issue the certificate within five to seven working days of a complete application.
Without the certificate, the buyer’s solicitor withholds 15% of the purchase price at closing. The seller can then claim a credit for that withheld amount against their actual CGT liability. If the withheld amount exceeds the CGT due, Revenue refunds the excess. But the process of recovering an overpayment takes time, and the cash flow impact of having 15% withheld on a large sale is significant. Getting the clearance certificate in advance avoids this entirely.
This is particularly relevant for non-residents selling Irish property, since non-resident sellers are more likely to trigger the withholding requirement and may not have the same level of familiarity with the Irish clearance process. Our tax clearance service for non-residents covers the CG50A application process in detail.
What Happens If You Miss the CGT Payment Deadline
Missing the 15 December or 31 January payment deadline does not create a criminal liability. It creates a financial one.
Interest accrues at 0.0274% per day from the deadline date until payment is made. On a CGT liability of €30,000, that is approximately €8.22 per day. Six months of delay generates over €1,500 in interest before any penalties are considered.
If the return is also filed late – after 31 October of the following year – a surcharge applies on top of the interest. A return filed within two months of the October deadline attracts a 5% surcharge on the tax liability. A return filed more than two months late attracts a 10% surcharge. These are applied to the total tax liability for the year, not just the balance outstanding.
Revenue’s position on CGT compliance has become more active in recent years. Revenue has access to property registration data, share transfer records, and financial institution information that allows it to identify disposals that were not declared. Voluntary compliance, meaning you pay and file on time without Revenue prompting you, is significantly better than receiving an inquiry after the fact.
Frequently Asked Questions About CGT Payment Dates Ireland 2026
Q1: When is CGT due in Ireland for 2026? CGT on disposals made between 1 January and 30 November 2026 is due by 15 December 2026. CGT on disposals made during December 2026 is due by 31 January 2027. These are payment deadlines. The return declaring the disposal details must be filed separately by 31 October 2027, regardless of when during 2026 the disposal occurred.
Q2: What is the CGT1 form in Ireland? The CGT1 form is Revenue’s paper payment slip for Capital Gains Tax. CGT Payslip A (Form CGT1 A) is for paying CGT on disposals from January to November, due by 15 December. CGT Payslip B is for paying CGT on December disposals, due by 31 January. For most taxpayers, paying through ROS or myAccount online is faster and provides immediate confirmation. The paper payslip is used when filing exemptions from mandatory e-filing apply or when a taxpayer prefers postal payment.
Q3: Do I have to file a CGT return even if no tax is due? Yes. Revenue requires a return to be filed for every year in which a disposal took place, even if the gain is fully sheltered by principal private residence relief, falls within the annual exemption of €1,270, or is eliminated by losses. The obligation to file is separate from the obligation to pay. Failure to file when required results in a surcharge of 5% to 10% on the tax liability for that year, even if the liability is zero.
Q4: How do I pay CGT on ROS? Log into ROS at ros.ie. In your dashboard, navigate to the Payments and Refunds section. Select Capital Gains Tax as the tax type. Select the relevant period, either the initial period ending 30 November or the later period covering December. Enter the amount due and proceed to payment by debit card, credit card, or direct debit. Revenue confirms the payment immediately and the record appears in your ROS transaction history. If CGT payments are pre-filled on your subsequent Form 11 return, this confirmation helps you match the payment to the correct return panel.
Q5: Can I offset losses from one disposal against gains from another in the same year? Yes. Capital losses from disposals in the same tax year are offset against capital gains from other disposals in that year before CGT is calculated. If total losses exceed total gains in a year, the excess losses carry forward indefinitely to offset future gains. Losses cannot be carried back. To use historical carried-forward losses, they must have been declared on a prior year CGT return. Revenue does not automatically apply losses that were never declared. If you have undeclared losses from prior years, including on assets that decreased significantly in value, reviewing whether those can be declared retrospectively is worth discussing with your accountant.
